South Water Market served
as the major produce distribution market in Chicago – the largest of its
type at the time of construction in 1925. The six warehouses, the longest
being over 800 feet long, featured matching terra cotta facades and were
designed by Chicago architects, Fugard and Knapp. Nearly vacant and decaying
in the 1990s, the owners and the City of Chicago sought proposals for new
uses of the site. While several proposals involved demolishing most or all
of the warehouse buildings, Enterprise Companies alone put forward a plan
that called for renovating the existing structures. The developer then set
about securing ownership of the buildings from remaining tenants, as well as
successfully listing the site on the National Register and taking advantage
of a state preservation tax incentive program. The renovations preserved the
loading docks and canopies, which were incorporated into the design of the
residential units. The underground parking is accessed from the rear alleys.
Completed in 2007, University Commons’ 926 housing units are located
adjacent to the University of Illinois at Chicago campus.